Text Substitutions dialog box

Used to generate substitution string pairs; each pair consists of an Actual string and a Replacement string. Opens when the Text Substitutions button is clicked in the Modify Pen Table dialog box.


Text Substitutions dialog box

You can use the text substitution feature to replace text in your design during printing. This can be with standard text string variables for text items such as the date, time, or filename. Proposed replacement strings for these items are special strings that are converted to the required information during processing for printing.

Additionally, if a replacement string, or a portion of a replacement string, has the format of a MicroStation configuration macro — that is, has format $(text) — it undergoes substitution automatically to a preset value. This automatic substitution is called expansion. For example the replacement string User: $(_USTN_USERNAME) might expand to User: Johnsmith. If a replacement string has configuration macro format and is expanded to another configuration macro, and so on, then substitution is iterative until expansion to a string which is not a configuration macro.

List box

Displays list of substitution string pairs, with each pair consisting of:

an actual string — the string in the design file which is to be replaced.
a replacement string — the string which is to replace the actual string.

Actual

This text field lets you enter an actual string into the list box. An actual text string can be entered into the text field two ways: by keying into the text field, or with the four Edit menu/Insert menu items. Pressing <Enter> copies the Actual string from the text field into the list box. Also, when not keying into this text field, if an Actual string is highlighted in the list box, it is displayed in this text field.

Replacement

This text field lets you enter a replacement string into the list box. A replacement text string can be entered two ways: by keying into the text field, or with the four Edit menu/Insert menu items. Pressing <Enter> copies the Replacement string from the text field into the list box. Also, when not keying into this text field, if a replacement string is highlighted in the list box, it is displayed in this text field.

Edit menu > Insert New

Starts the process of entering a new substitution text pair into the list box. Inserts `Original' both into the Actual list box column and into the Actual text field. (After this, enter strings into the Actual and Replacement text fields and press <Enter> to transfer the strings into the list box.)

Edit menu > Delete

Removes a highlighted text pair from the list box.

Edit menu > Insert Design File > Short

Inserts $FILES$ into the Actual text field and _FILES_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _FILES_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the short name of the design file as a replacement for the text string $FILES$ in the design file. That is, it inputs the name of the design file only, without its path.

Edit menu > Insert Design File > Abbrev

Inserts $FILEA$ into the Actual text field and _FILEA_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _FILEA_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the abbreviated name of the design file as a replacement for the text string $FILEA$ in the design file. That is, where the name of the design file plus its path exceeds 30 characters, the path is truncated.

Edit menu > Insert Design File > Long

Inserts $FILEL$ into the Actual text field and _FILEL_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _FILEL_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the long name of the design file as a replacement for the text string $FILES$ in the design file. That is, it inputs the name of the design file along with its full path.

Edit menu > Insert Pen Table > Short

Inserts $PENTBLS$ into the Actual text field and _PENTBLS_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _PENTBLS_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the short name of the pen table file as a replacement for the text string $PENTBLS$ in the design file. That is, it inputs the name of the pen table file only, without its path.

Edit menu > Insert Pen Table> Abbrev

Inserts $PENTBLA$ into the Actual text field and _PENTBLA_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _PENTBLA_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the abbreviated name of the pen table file as a replacement for the text string $PENTBLA$ in the design file. That is, where the name of the pen table file plus its path exceeds 30 characters, the path is truncated.

Edit menu > Insert Pen Table > Long

Inserts $PENTBLL$ into the Actual text field and _PENTBLL_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _PENTBLL_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the long name of the design file as a replacement for the text string $PENTBLL$ in the design file. That is, it inputs the name of the design file along with its full path.

Edit menu > Insert Date

Inserts $DATE$ into the Actual text field and _DATE_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _DATE_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the system date as a replacement for the text string $DATE$ in the design file.

Edit menu > Insert Time

Inserts $TIME$ into the Actual text field and _TIME_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _TIME_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the system time as a replacement for the text string $TIME$ in the design file.

Edit menu > Insert Scale

Inserts $SCALE$ into the Actual text field and _SCALE_ into the Replacement text field. The replacement string _SCALE_ is a variable that instructs the printing process to insert the printing scale as a replacement for the text string $SCALE$ in the design file.